Nothing To Lose
by venomoxide
Summary: Luna, currently in her Fourth Year at Hogwarts, experiences some strange things. Someone from the past shows up and finds an interest in Luna that is completely selfish and could easily destroy the both of them. TR/LL, Rated for later chapters.
1. Unexpected Nightmare

**Hello everyone. This is my first Harry Potter fanfiction... So I'm a tad nervous. I have noticed that a lot of the HP fanfictions get only flamers as the reviews. I hope that doesn't happen to me.**  
**Ok, so to clear some things up before questions need to be asked, I will explain the kind of setting and such. It's not really AU but it's not sticking true to what happened in the series. The only reason I say this is because the whole Chamber of Secrets thing... hasn't happened yet. And also, there will be some confusing... things going on. But Luna is in her Fourth Year, meaning she is fourteen. (I think, correct me if I'm wrong.)**  
**And... yes. I think that's it!**

**Song Suggestion for this chapter - All I Need by Radiohead**

**Alright... read on.**

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With a gentle sigh, barely above a whisper, Luna smiled at the few of her friends in the train car with her. They were all engrossed in conversation – Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville and Ginny. Faintly, she heard they were talking about the upcoming year at Hogwarts. Currently, they were off to start their Fifth Year. While her and Ginny were only Fourth Years.  
Although she was excited, she found her thoughts, as they often seemed to be, were other places. So, as her fellow schoolmates chattered on, she smiled dreamily, listening to them every now and then.

Only an hour had passed during the trip to Hogwarts and without notice, Luna stood and nodded towards her friends as they ceased their conversation, sending her a quizzical look.  
"You alright Luna?" Harry asked, looking concerned.  
She simply nodded, tucking her wand behind her ear before tilting her head to the side. "I'm fine Harry. I'll be off to find the trolley."  
And with that, she turned and slid open the door, closing it behind her before anyone could say anything else.

After a few minutes of walking, she eventually found the trolley and the smiling lady who pushed it. Inspecting her choices, she tapped her chin thoughtfully, finding it particularly hard to make a decision. She was caught between buying two Chocolate Frogs or a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans when an all too familiar voice unpleasantly interrupted her thoughts.  
"Loony Lovegood," the snide drawl of the blonde Slytherin made her pleasant mood drop a bit. However, she continued to smile, offering him her best friendly look before returning her attention to the matter at hand.  
"Hello Malfoy." She greeted him, still smiling a bit as she pointed to the jelly beans, pulling out enough money to buy two boxes. Not really in the mood to talk to any of the Slytherins, she turned around with a small nod towards them.

However, Malfoy and his two gooneys were obviously not on the same page as her. The two large blokes lumbered behind the significantly thinner boy, the same arrogant smirk on their faces. Although, she was quite positive they had no idea what was so funny – they probably didn't even understand the insult of her name.  
"I'm not done with you, Lovegood." Malfoy loudly announced, looking like he was not used to being ignored.

Sighing a bit, Luna turned around, tucking the candy into her pockets as she nodded. "Alright."

A bit put off by her agreement, Malfoy hesitated for a moment. Finally he sneered, seeming to be back to his ignorant self. "Seen any Crumple-Horned Snorkacks lately?" His tone quite blatantly suggested that he was not looking for a serious answer – simply making fun of her belief in the non-existent creature.

Looking almost interested, Luna nodded fervently, her radish earrings dangling about as she did so. "Oh, yes! My father and I spent a weekend during the summer spotting them." She sounded almost proud, as if this proved their very existence.

The Slytherins smug look dropped at her reply, not sure if she was being sarcastic or if she truly believed she saw these things out in the wild with her crackpot father. Nonetheless, he rolled his eyes. "Of course you did. Well, my father says they don't exist."

Blinking a few times, she tilted her head to the side, looking thoughtful before she replied, tone completely serious. "Well, my father says they only appear to intelligent people. Perhaps you should suggest a different approach for your father?"  
With that, she nodded, ignoring Draco's gaping mouth before wishing him to have a safe trip and turning around on her heel, making her way back to the train car her friends were in.

After that incident, nothing too exciting happened to Luna. The train ride went by easily and she even found a wood flavoured bean that she decided didn't taste too bad. Waiting until her friends had filed out of the train car before she followed them, smiling a bit as the cool air greeted her.  
It was a short trip to Hogwarts and she spent most of it twirling her bottle cap necklace around her finger, humming quietly to herself.

Once she was seated at the Ravenclaw table, Dumbledore stood up, clapping his hands to get the schools attention. Gradually, everyone's conversations died down and all eyes were fixed on the headmaster, awaiting the speech he gave every year. Briefly, she thought that it would be nice to touch the old headmasters' beard. It reminded her of fluffy clouds, wisps of condensation, cascading from his chin.  
While she was listening, Luna's attention seemed to be somewhere else. Her day dreamy gaze was currently scanning the other students, smiling queerly at the ones who caught her. Her gray eyes met with one of the teachers, perched high up on the table behind the talking Dumbledore.  
Severus Snape had caught her gazing at him, arching an eyebrow in a condescending way. Her same smile stayed put and she blinked a few times before raising her hand and giving him a small wave.

Immediately, the pale man's scowl only deepened and he glared at her for a few more seconds before forcing his gaze away. In his mind, he was trying to find some way to take points from Ravenclaw. But one could not justify taking points for a student simply acting strange.

Finally, after what seemed like a long time, Dumbledore had finished his speech and everyone was eating. To Luna's delight, there was pudding – her favourite kind as well. Loading quite a lot of it onto her plate, she looked over at the boy sitting beside her.  
Realizing she didn't know his name, she took a spoonful of her pudding and continued to stare at him, a curious expression on her face.  
After a few moments, the boy looked up from his mashed potatoes and to the side slowly, swallowing his food nervously as they made eye contact.

"Hello..." He finally said, forcing a slightly weak smile onto his face before raising his eyebrows and turning back to his food, feeling a bit unnerved by her staring.

"You're eyes look as green as leaves in the spring." She commented before going back to her pudding, oblivious to the confused look he gave her before promptly moving a little further away from him.

By the time the feast had ended, Luna's friends in Gryffindor were already swept away with the crowd. It was too bad, really, she thought to herself as she watched them get lost in the sea of students. She had wanted to wish them a goodnight and to be careful of Nargles while they slept. Oh well, tomorrow was always another day.

Following the other Ravenclaws to their tower, she skipped alongside a few of the other girls. They pretended like she wasn't there, mostly, casting annoyed looks at her every once in awhile. She didn't notice, continuing along happily until they reached the door.  
Making her way up the cold staircase, Luna wondered how many other students had walked on these stairs. It would be interesting to meet them all and ask them what they thought of Hogwarts. Perhaps she would ask them if they could see faces in the cracks of the stone as well.  
After a long day, her bed seemed like a wonderful place and she fell onto it with a small giggle. The other girls looked at her as if she were mad before muttering to themselves in a reserved manner. Not many of them were outgoing or loud – mostly studious and quiet people who kept to themselves.

Rolling over, she fell asleep within minutes, a happy smile on her lips as she drifted into her dream. At first, her dream was no different than others she had before. There she was, wandering the school with a serene smile. Where was she headed this time?  
It almost looked as if she were going towards the dungeons, but then, she turned suddenly, as if distracted. Most of the time her dreams were silent, just like this one had been until... Luna saw herself scream, eyes wide with fear as she watched something. She couldn't see what it was, however, because it was almost as if she were the thing making her dream-self scream.  
Watching in horror as dream Luna fell, looking as if she had been petrified, she tried to help herself but instead...

Sitting up with a wild breath, Luna's eyes were wide and she could feel her hands shaking. Glancing down to make sure she was still in one piece, she saw that she was wearing her robes still, meaning she must have fallen asleep in them.  
With a quick glance to the clock, she saw it was almost two o' clock. Heart racing and palms sweating, she slowly lied back down, not daring to shut her eyes again.  
She hadn't had a nightmare since... her mother had died.


	2. A Talking Fire

**Thanks for the reviews! It was a great surprise to see them. So... the plot thickens! Lol, I'll stop being a nerd now and let you continue reading...**

Song Suggestion for this chapter - Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3 (Redemption) by Muse.

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It was a restless night for Luna after the nightmare. It wasn't necessarily what had happened in the nightmare that kept her awake, tossing and turning for the few hours she had to go until she woke up, it was the fact that she had experienced a nightmare in the first place. The feeling of sweaty skin and a beating heart was out of place for the Ravenclaw and not in a good way either.

So, when she woke for her first day of classes the next morning, it was no surprise that she looked half-dead. There were dark circles under her eyes and her pale complexion seemed even more ghostly than usual. Frowning a tiny bit at her reflection in the mirror, she sighed lightly, shrugging before she finished tying her tie and pulling her hair into a loose side ponytail.

A few of the other girls in her dorm gave her a half-hearted smile as they passed, all on their way to the dining hall. It was almost as if they had known she had a nightmare and felt sorry for her. She didn't mind, however, simply smiling back with a far off look.

By the time she was seated beside Ginny, the nightmare was far from her mind and she was buttering her toast generously.  
"I'm so excited for today, Luna! It's our first day of classes... I think we have Herbology first." Ginny was in bright spirits, her eyes shining with obvious enthusiasm over the fact that school had started again. Nodding absently, she took a bite of toast. "That will be nice."

Her gaze drifted down a few seats of the Gryffindor table (she had been invited to join their table by her red-headed friend) and for a few moments, she watched her friends in the Sixth year with a tiny smile. They were acting normal – Harry was laughing at Ron, who, to Hermione's disgust had two thin straws stuck up his nose, as if to resemble a walrus.  
Turning back at the voice of Ginny, Luna blinked, her gray eyes lost for a moment as she tried to remember what the red-head had just said.

Noticing this, Ginny rolled her eyes and took a quick drink of pumpkin juice before repeating herself. "Did you sleep alright? You look kind of tired."  
For a second, Luna's smile faltered and she glanced down at her half-eaten toast with the ghost of a frown pulling at her eyebrows. Of course she would notice. It was just like Ginny to bring out her maternal instincts at every time possible. She didn't want to lie and didn't see a reason to so she sighed lightly and shrugged.  
"I had a nightmare. It might be because I ate some pudding before bed." She replied, matter-of-factly.

Ginny's happy expression melted into a worried one and she frowned, spearing a bit of her scrambled eggs before eating them, lips pursed in thought. "What was it about?" She wondered aloud not able to recall her day dreamy friend ever having a nightmare before.

"I can't recall." Luna replied, her smile returning. It wasn't a lie, either. She really didn't remember the dream all too well and as the two friends finished breakfast and headed off to Herbology, she realized she might have a bad case of Wrackspurts that were making her mind fuzzy.

After a busy day full of Herbology with Gryffindor, Charms, and Potions with the Slytherins, Luna had all but forgotten about her nightmare. Currently, she was curled up in the Ravenclaw common room beside the fireplace, her first set of Charms homework sitting on her lap.  
Even though her quill was poised, like she was ready to write, her gray eyes were fixed on the fire, watching it with a small smile.  
The flames were licking at the top of the stone, crackling loudly as they consumed the wood but suddenly Luna realized she could hear something else within the fire. It sounded almost like... whispering.  
Intrigued, she set the blank parchment aside, leaning forward with an interested gaze. After a few moments of listening, she had been able to pick out a few words... _Filth... Dirty blood... Cleanse... Must kill...  
_Before she could hear anymore, someone's voice interrupted her, pulling her attention away from the fire. "You alright Luna?"

It was one of the Fifth years, looking over to her with a concerned expression. Clarissa Lane was her name, Luna recalled after a few seconds of thought. Smiling a bit, she nodded, happy that the other girl showed some interest in her well being.  
"I'm fine, just inspecting the fire." Luna replied, her gaze moving back to the flames. To her disappointment, there was nothing to hear anymore.  
Giving her a few more seconds of a patronizing stare, Clarissa finally sighed lightly and nodded, wishing her a good night before heading off to the Fifth Year rooms, books tucked under her arm.

Much later, after forcing herself to finish her Charms essay and read the first two chapters in _Magical Draughts and Potions _by Libatius Borage, Luna had changed into her night gown and tucked herself deep under her covers.  
Yawning lightly, she reached up and turned her lamp off, the flame dying to a small flicker. Rolling over and tucking her arm under her pillow, she couldn't help but wonder if she should be nervous. Hearing voices, even in the Wizarding world was never a good sign. She personally didn't think she was insane, although, she was told that she was by her classmates for quite a long time. But she had never had a reason to think so – until now.  
'Maybe I'll ask everyone about it tomorrow...' She thought absently as sleep overtook her and dragged her down into a dreamless sleep.

Skipping along with a smile, Luna was in a delightful mood after having a night with no dreams as she made her way down to the Great Hall. Ginny hadn't met her at the corridor that they usually do but she assumed that she was probably waiting for her at the Gryffindor table.  
And sure enough, all of the Weasley's hair was visible as soon as she entered the massive room, her stomach rumbling at the smell of freshly made breakfast.

The Fifth Year, Clarissa, glanced up as Luna entered, offering her a small smile and a tiny wave. Tilting her head, Luna blinked, a bit surprised that someone from her own house wanted her to sit with them. Torn between the decisions, she fiddled with her bottle cap necklace before walking over to the brown haired Ravenclaw, sitting down opposite her.

"Hello." She said simply, getting a generous amount of butter on the end of her knife before spreading it across a still warm croissant. Taking a bite, she stared at Clarissa with her usual far off look, wondering what she had wanted to say.

Returning the smile with a little less enthusiasm, Clarissa replied, "Hey... Did you sleep alright?" She wasn't eating, or perhaps had already finished, but as Luna glanced down, she noticed that the napkin had been torn into a thousand tiny pieces, indicating that she had been here awhile.  
Assuming that she was only asking because she was curious if Luna had had anymore nightmares, she nodded.  
"I had no nightmares. Thank you for asking."  
She looked a bit surprised that her intentions were known so quickly but Clarissa simply cleared her throat and took a small drink before nodding. "Right." This was accompanied by a weak smile and an almost nervous glance towards the Slytherin table.

She didn't say anything else for a few minutes, letting Luna, who was slightly puzzled her behaviour, eat in silence. It was only once she had started on her eggs did Clarissa speak up again. "Well, I was wondering if you wanted help with... Charms homework?"

Setting her fork down, Luna blinked a few times before nodding again. "That would be nice." She agreed, grateful that the older student had offered. Even though she was intelligent and Charms wasn't the hardest class, she could always use the extra help – especially with O.W.L.S. coming up.  
Not even a few seconds after she had answered did Clarissa stand up, clutching her book to her chest with a relieved look.  
"Alright. I'll meet you in the abandoned classroom next to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom at five o' clock sharp." She was staring at the blonde with an almost urgent look as she continued. "Don't be late," and with that, she was gone in a flurry.


	3. In The Wrong Hands

**I love the reviews and I'm happy that you guys enjoy the story so far. Keep reading!**

Song Suggestion - You Look So Fine by Garbage.

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Luna barely had time to think on the older girls behaviour because only seconds after she left did Ginny come running up, asking why she hadn't sat with her at the Gryffindor table.  
"Clarissa Lane offered to help me with my Charms homework." She replied, finishing her croissant with a shrug. "It was very nice of her." And that was all they said on the matter, filling the rest of their breakfast time with mindless chatter about how Snape was as nasty as always (Luna suggested that perhaps this was due to a bad Nargle infestation) and how much they were looking forward to visiting Hogsmeade next weekend.

It wasn't until three hours later, just about halfway through History of Magic, did Luna think of something serious. She had forgotten to ask Ginny and the Golden Trio about hearing voices and if that deemed her clinically insane.  
Contemplating asking if she could go to the washroom in hopes of locating her friend, she decided against it, not wanting to risk insulting Professor Binns and earning herself a detention. Instead, she settled for writing a note. It was a quick scribble, containing a simple explanation of what had happened yesterday and the question of whether or not this officially made Loony Lovegood loony.

But before she could slip it into the pocket of her robes, it was pulled from her light grasp, floating silently towards the other side of the classroom. Binns seemed completely oblivious, obviously too lost in his own lecture to notice the small floating piece of parchment. Following it with slight dismay, she realized that it was one of the Slytherin girls who were currently causing it to float towards the sneering girls open hands. Scarlet Bott she believed her name was. In a matter of seconds, it was in Scarlet's hand and before Luna could protest, they had turned around and huddled together, no doubt to read it.

Chewing the inside of her lip, Luna rest her head on her desk, sighing a bit. It wasn't anyone's fault, she decided, but her own. If she had been paying attention (or at least pretending to) she wouldn't have written and lost her note. Despite the fact that now people would have solid evidence that even Loony herself thought she was crazy, she wasn't worried about it. At least her question would get to Ginny faster than it would have if she had waited until after lunch. Gossip spread fast in Hogwarts – especially if it had to do with the Slytherins.

Surprisingly soon, class was over and before she packed up, she scribbled down a few dates that sounded important and put all of her belongings in her bag. As she was leaving the classroom, she met eyes with the group of girls who had taken her note. Something in the way they were staring and smiling at her told her that they weren't going to keep this quiet. Her thoughts were proven right not even fifteen minutes after History of Magic, as she rounded the corner and smack into a significantly taller students' chest. Rubbing her nose, she said hello without even glancing up to see who it was. Afterwards though, she wished she could take that hello back as the smirking face of Draco Malfoy came into view.

"Hello Loony." He replied, looking positively evil as he openly patronized her. "Or... sorry, _were_ you talking to me? Wouldn't want to interrupt a conversation with the..." He glanced around, looking to the other Slytherins that had crowded around her before lowering his voice to a stage whisper, "_Voices..."_

Gray eyes flickering from face to face, each of their expressions the same, Luna let out a small breath before adjusting her bag on her shoulder. She wasn't intimidated by Malfoy, but to be honest, a group of people (Slytherin or not) crowding around you would cause any rational person to be a little nervous. Holding her head high, she offered him a smile, tilting her head a bit.  
"Good day, Malfoy." She replied cheerily, gathering all her strength and stepping forward, trying to break past his and Blaise Zabini's shoulders – all to no avail. Blaise's hand came up, none too gently pushing her back to where she was.

"Nice try, Loo-" Malfoy looked as if he were ready to deliver the longest teasing session he ever had but was suddenly cut off by a baritone voice, coming from a little ways down the hall.  
"Separate," it drawled, sounding between a mixture of bored and annoyed. The crowd parted a bit, making it possible for Luna to see Professor Snape, cloaks billowing behind him as he walked briskly to the commotion.  
He paused, appraising the scene with an arched eyebrow. Obviously noticing that she was the only Ravenclaw present and knowing the hungry look of enjoyment in all of his own houses eyes, he realized that she was being bullied.

His eyes locked onto Malfoy, sending him an unimpressed look. "Mr. Malfoy, if one has any decency to a Wizarding name, he will refrain from using power in numbers. Now leave. All of you."  
Looking as if he wished to argue, Malfoy was the last one to linger before he huffed and joined the rest of the Slytherins stalking away.

Smiling a genuine smile at the Professor, Luna began to say, "Thank you, Professor," but was quickly cut off by a hand in the air.  
"As for you, Miss Lovegood, perhaps you should try to remember two things. One, paying attention in class instead of writing notes is suggested. And two, wandering the halls like a complete air head may land you in situations that will not always be resolved by someone else." With eyes that were staring at her like a snake, he stood still for a few moments, letting his words sink in before motioning for her to leave.

Not quite sure what to say, Luna swallowed the urge to ask if the Professor was suffering a bad infestation of Nargles in his office and walked away, continuing her previous path of walking towards the Great Hall. In a few moments, she reached the large room, already buzzing with conversation. As she stepped through the large arch of the wooden doors, someone called, "Hey, it's Loony Lovegood!" And almost a whole sea of heads turned to stare at her.

There was a moment of silence before she raised her hand, waving at the students with a far off smile and preceded to sit down beside Ginny, who looked absolutely beside herself. Most people were quiet, some snickering but her response (or lack of) seemed to bore them and soon conversation was beginning to start again.

"What happened?" She hissed in Luna's ear only seconds after she sat down, her expression matching the three other Gryffindors who had suddenly crowded around her. Obviously they had heard the news which by now was probably twisted into an ugly story that only a gullible person would believe.

"I heard a voice yesterday." She replied calmly, sounding as if she were talking about something mundane. Feeling her stomach growl, she loaded her plate full of vegetables and the delicious looking chicken that was on a platter near her.  
Harry's eyes widened a bit and Hermione looked positively shocked. Ron, however, mumbled something that vaguely sounded like 'And we are surprised why?'

"What... did they sound like?" Harry tried after a few moments of stunned silence, feeling a bit awkward that Luna herself didn't seem fazed by the situation as she sat, eating her lunch. Hermione looked as if she was bursting with questions but she busied herself with pumpkin juice, letting her friend do the questioning.  
"I can't quite recall. It was late at night and I couldn't hear them clearly." Even though Luna so no reason to lie, she found herself fudging the truth a bit. She just wanted this whole ordeal to be over and as long as her friends stopped asking questions and believed it was no big deal, then she could get on with the rest of her year and soon everyone would forget that it happened.

Harry looked as if he wanted to say more but with a swift nudge to his side with her elbow, Hermione edged the conversation to a different topic. "What class do you have next?" She asked, speaking to both Ginny and Luna. "Harry, Ron and I have Potions. I hope Snape is in a good mood..."

Giggling a bit through her chicken, Luna thought back to twenty minutes ago. Knowing her Professor, he would not be in any more of a pleasant mood than he usually was – not if he had actually had to punish those of his own house.

The rest of the day went fairly quickly for Luna. Luckily she had D.A.D.A with the Gryffindors and they weren't as interested in the whole ordeal that had come about today. Instead, they smiled friendlily at her and wished her a good evening as soon as class was over.  
As for any spare time she had, Ginny had stuck to her like glue, swearing that if Malfoy decided to show his 'big fat ugly face' she would show him a thing or two about messing with a Weasley's friend. This threat didn't only apply to Draco, though. Anyone who stared or whispered as the pair walked by got a frighteningly evil death glare.

Thankful, of course, for Ginny's efforts, Luna was a bit sad to say goodnight after they had eaten dinner together. But, she was tired and sleep sounded like a nice thing right now. Halfway to the Ravenclaw common room, she suddenly remembered that she was to meet Clarissa for extra help in Charms. Turning around again, she skipped off in the other direction, pushing her tired feelings aside as she made her way to the abandoned classroom.

It took her a few minutes but eventually Luna had reached the eerie hallway in which Moaning Myrtle had made classes virtually obsolete with her constant flooding of the toilet and wailings through the stone. Glancing down as she felt a squishy sensation through her shoe, she blinked, realizing that the hallway was slowly being swallowed by a steady expanse of water. Naturally, its source was Myrtle's bathroom. If it wasn't stopped soon, the whole corridor would be slick with the water.

Trying to make her way to the classroom beside the bathroom, she ignored the way her robes were beginning to get wet at the bottom, knowing she could always use a simple clean and dry charm on them later.  
Pushing open the abandoned classrooms door, she expected to see the Fifth Year, smiling at her. "It's quite flooded out there. If I didn't know about Moaning Myrtle, I would blame it on Narlges..." She trailed off, looking up from pulling out her Charms book to see the smiling faces of four or five Slytherin girls.

"Expecting someone else?" One of them sneered, arching her eyebrow with a foul look. Luna soon realized that it was Scarlet, the one who had taken her note from before. As she opened her mouth to say something, she was distracted by a movement in her peripheral vision.  
"Stupefy!" One of them cried, having pulled out their wand and pointed it at her before she had even known what was going on.  
She flew backwards, Charms book flying across the room, and her back connected with the stone, hard enough to leave a nasty bruise. She was sure that would look charming in the morning. Wincing a bit, she managed to hold herself up, a bit dazed at the sudden nature of it all.

"Don't worry," another one of them, Lisa her name was, had grabbed Lunas' chin, forcing her to look at her. Trying to focus her gaze, Luna managed a smile, looking a bit confused. "It wasn't your Ravenclaw friend who set you up. We threatened to hex her if she didn't get you to come here."  
As the small pieces of the puzzle clicked together, it all made sense. Clarissas' strange behaviours, the glances back at the Slytherin table, her sudden interest in being her friend. She just wanted to avoid being hexed by the Slytherins. Despite the familiar sinking feeling that made her feel like she swallowed lead, Luna didn't blame the older Ravenclaw. It was just her own 'survival' methods kicking in; in other circumstances, she was convinced that Clarissa was a nice person.

"I wasn't worried. Clarissa is a nice person." She finally had managed to gather her thoughts enough to reply without sounding too pathetic. It seems that her offer of a friendly smile and completely calm exterior was not what the Slytherins were looking for when they had decided to pick on her.

"Shut up, freak!" Scarlet suddenly cried, looking as if she had finally gone off the deep end. Perhaps she had, Luna found herself thinking as the grip on her chin finally left and Scarlet stepped in front of her, eyes blazing with an emotion the blonde couldn't place. And as she was about to bring up this fact, a blinding pain engulfed the side of her head and she sank to the floor. By the time she reached it, however, everything had faded to black and she was quite comfortably floating through it.


	4. We Have Some Explaining

**So a certain someone finally shows up! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this slightly shorter chapter.**

Song Suggestion - Red, Red, Red by Fiona Apple.

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Luna was floating slowly through her mind and she knew that she wasn't awake. She was lost, somewhere between consciousnesses and just rousing but she didn't mind. It was nice here, in the warmth of her mind. She imagined that she was in the sea, gently moved along by the waves.  
The warmth started to subside, however and she stirred, eye twitching at the slight ebb of pain making itself known on the side of her head. Groaning a bit, she turned over and felt her happy place leaving, gone in a crash of cold – she realized she was _freezing._

Gray eyes fluttering open, she blinked a few times, rolling over before she realized that she was... wet. No, not wet. Soaked. Completely. Forcing herself to sit up, she blinked again, holding the side of her head. From the tips of her fingers, she could feel a slight bump and possibly dried blood, clinging to her damp hair. Frowning a bit, she tried to open her eyes and with a start, soon figured out that they _were_ open. She was sitting in complete and utter darkness and from what she could feel below her, she was sitting in about two inches of ice cold water.

After letting herself become fully aware of her surroundings, she determined that she must be in the bathroom. From the faint dripping of a faucet, to the occasional whimper from Moaning Myrtle in the U-bend it was blatantly obvious that there was no other place she could be.  
Shivering, she reached up to the space behind her ear, looking for her wand. Of course, it wasn't there. Sighing a bit, she rolled over, so she was on her knees and began patting the wet stone floor, thinking hopefully that it had fallen near to her. Only a few seconds of looking later and she had some luck as her fingers brushed over the familiar wood.

Picking it up, she smiled, despite her situation and gave it a quick flick after murmuring, "_Lumos!" _A small but greatly helpful orb of light shone from the tip of her wand, illuminating about half a foot in front of her. With a little bit of enlightenment (no pun intended) her assumptions were proved correct. The slightly aged view of the haunted bathroom came into sight and Luna thought it was the nicest thing she had seen in awhile.

Crawling towards what she thought was the door she kept her wand in one of her hands, moving forward with a slightly apprehensive tone. Glancing upward, she tried to see why it was so dark – perhaps it was night fall already? And to her surprise, she could hardly see the windows at all.  
The hand holding the wand came down, expecting to meet the same cold stone that it had for the past five minutes but instead, it met a slightly chilled surface.

Stifling a cry, Luna glanced down hurriedly, not quite sure what she expected to see. In front of her, lying sprawled out in a surely uncomfortable position, was a boy, perhaps her age or a year older. His eyes were closed and if she hadn't felt that his skin was slightly warm, she might have thought he was dead. Pale skin looked just as cold and soaked as she felt and for a moment, she was lost in thought. Pulling out of her thoughts, she drew her hand back quickly, surprised that she had left it there.

Swallowing the small amount of nerves that had begun to build in her stomach, Luna held her wand out, to get a better look at him. He had dark, handsome hair that even though it was messy and stuck to his face with water, still appeared neat and well kept. His nose was slightly upturned, in a way that reminded her of a posh, gentlemanly person and his jaw was lightly defined, giving him a classically attractive look. Glancing a little further down his body, she saw the Slytherin colors and their badge, surprisingly easy to see.

During her inspection, she hadn't noticed the slight twitch of his eye, indicating that he too was about to wake up. Moving the wand back a little bit, Luna wondered what the best thing to do was. It would be senseless to try and drag him along, especially because he looked to be about five inches taller than she was. If she found her way out, she could inform a Professor and get them to help him out.  
As she was thinking, her gaze had drifted towards the other side of the room, her wand held up away from the boy to try and illuminate where she thought the door might be.

So she hadn't noticed that the boy had sat up, winced in a similar manner to her, touched the back of his head, glanced over and pulled out his wand. She did notice, however, as soon as that wand was pressed into the side of her throat.  
Whipping her head towards him, she blinked, completely unsure of what to say. So, she settled for, "Hello."

He scowled, eyes narrowing a bit as he did the same thing she had done to him, taking in her appearance. The only difference in his case was that he was judging how much of a threat she was. Seeing the Ravenclaw badge and telltale black cloaks, his wand slowly left her neck, staying poised in mid-air.  
"What year is it?" He questioned, his tone daring her to lie or tell him otherwise.

Thinking it was an odd question to ask, but glad to have his wand safely away from her neck, Luna blinked again. "Nineteen ninety five," she replied, her small smile still there.  
This answer seemed to satisfy him for the moment and his expression shifted to a slightly calculating one. His composure seemed to have returned and he ran a hand through his hair, looking as if he was trying to fix it. Of course, no good would be done until he got dry, seeing as he was just as drenched as Luna was.

Before either of them could say anything, the sound of voices and a sudden bang on, what they assumed, was the entrance pulled both of their gazes towards the source. Luna could pick out the faint voice of Professor McGonagall, Dumbledore and Filch above another loud bang and not long after, the door opened, letting in some light.  
"There better be some punishment for this..." Filch was mumbling, trotting off towards the broken pipe as he cursed under his breath. Realizing that they couldn't see her, because she was fairly far back and hidden behind the large circular sink, she stood up, steadying herself on the cold counter.

A light gasp came from Professor McGonagall, gathering the attention of Dumbledore as well. "Miss Lovegood! Where have you been? We have been looking for you everywhere and if I-" She was cut off by Dumbledore's hand in the air and he smiled knowingly.

"Minerva, it's quite alright. I do believe she hasn't the slightest clue where she had been either..." His smile seemed to change a bit as his eyes widened, gaze now fixed on something behind her. Following the gaze, Luna turned and remembered all about the boy. He had stood up as well, wand no longer poised but tucked away and he had a slightly curious look on his face.

"Professor Dumbledore..." He drawled, lips curving into the slightest of smirks. "I do believe I have some explaining to do," he continued, now moving past Luna, towards the headmaster. Professor McGonagall looked completely confused, as if she were trying to place pieces of a puzzle together.

Dumbledore's expression seemed to shift, as quickly as before, into an almost intrigued one and he smiled again, nodding to the confused Professor beside him to go and collect Luna. McGonagall obeyed, rushing over to her and throwing her own cloak around the shivering student. After that, the two of them didn't move, though, watching Dumbledore and the boy with equal interest.

"Yes, I believe you do..." the wise headmaster never seemed so wise as his piercing eyes stared straight into the boys before he reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Tom."


	5. Not In The Plan

**Hey guys! So this chapter is a little shorter but it's different. It's told from Toms POV. It was so fun getting into his mind. Haha. Alright, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think...**

Song Suggestion - Exogenesis: Symphony Part 2 (Cross-Pollination) by Muse.

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It seemed as if it had just been mere hours ago that Tom had seen the man he was now sitting across from, although, he had aged considerably. His auburn hair and beard had shifted into a snowy white color that, if possible, brought out his piercing eyes even more. Those eyes were now studying him, measuring him – the same stare he had experienced not too long ago. Neither of them said anything for quite awhile, both staring at the other with equal expressions of interest and slight dislike.

"This is quite the surprise," Dumbledore was the one to break the silence, leaning forward with those twinkling eyes never blinking. "I would expect you had just seen me earlier this day, looking a tad bit younger. Am I right, Tom?"

Raising his hand to the side of his face, Tom lightly rest his jaw against his palm, completely devoid of any tell tale emotion. All he gave the headmaster was a slight smile with his eyebrow barely ghosting upwards. "You are, Prof... Oh, excuse me, Headmaster..."He corrected himself tilting his head slightly at how strange it was to be calling him that. "I seemed to have found in my possession something that they call... a time turner?" He paused, weighing the older man's reaction and when nothing changed, he continued. "And although I had assumed I got the date and time right, I ended up going to the future. You see, _Headmaster_..." He trailed off for a moment, his lips threatening to curve into the slightest of smirks before he continued. "I wanted to meet my father, perhaps a year or two after I was born. I wished to have... a word with him."

Dumbledore stayed silent through this all, listening and calculating as the young man before him spoke. He knew that any rational wizard would take the opportunity placed before them to kill the Dark Lord, despite his age and no matter the consequences. Even if it changed the past and future forever, most would not hesitate to murder the boy sitting across from him, barely in arms reach.  
But, then again, since when was he a rational wizard? No, he wasn't going to touch a hair on Tom's head, even with the knowledge that he would grow up to do many terrible things. He knew that if he did, many things would go wrong in the world. Nothing would be the same.

"Quite the story, Tom," Dumbledore finally replied, standing up with a long and slightly amused sigh. "Well, whats done is done! Do you have your time turner with you, by chance?" Walking around his desk, he picked up a small lemon drop candy and popped it in his mouth, watching the dark haired boy silently.

Standing as well, Tom reached into his shirt, pulling out a thin necklace from behind his tie. Pulling it swiftly over his head, he held it out to the other, staring up at him with slightly bemused dark eyes. It was taken from him and held up to the Headmasters face to be examined. He looked displeased for a moment and frowned a bit, moving the candy to the other side of his mouth before walking back to the other side of his desk, setting the time turner into a small drawer.

Watching as his time turner was put away, Tom's eyebrows knitted into a frown and just when he was about to protest, Dumbledore beat him to it. "It appears your time turner is broken. Don't worry, I can fix it for you. But, unfortunately, because it is from the past, some of the elements inside of it are different from one today. It might take me a few days to collect these things."

Suddenly, Tom did not seem as charming as his expression of calm slipped the tiniest bit. Inside, all he could think was that he had screwed up. This was not in the plan and to be honest, he did not like it when things went out of plan. His already dark eyes seemed to narrow and his jaw clenched, a muscle in his neck making his displeasure evident. But, just as quickly as he had lost it, he regained his composure and straightened up.  
"Of course." He said, forcing a small smile. "I'm sure I can last a few days, don't you think?" It was a rhetorical question of course but Dumbledore still answered it.

"Indeed and thankfully you arrived here in your uniform. We'll just get you some other clothes to last you for a few days and get you set up in with the other students of your year." Dumbledore was now making his way across the room, waving his hand to let the large wooden door swing open.

Raising an eyebrow at what he heard Tom took only a tiny step towards the door. "Excuse me, sir, but if I'm hearing correctly... You are _enrolling _me in this current year?" His voice didn't sound as incredulous as his thoughts were but he hid these things well. At this, the Headmasters smile seemed to grow and he had a certain look in his eye.

"Indeed, you hear correctly, Tom. I don't often say too many things without thinking. Now, go on. I assume you know where to find the Slytherin dorm. You should get a good night sleep, my boy," and before he could protest anymore, Tom had been ushered out of the office, onto the spiralling staircase that was now slowly descending. As soon as the door closed behind him, his mask of charm fell and his expression was completely fuming. This, indeed, was definitely not in the plan.


	6. One of the Decent Ones

**Hey guys! Hope you enjoy this chapter. So we have some unexpected (yes, even for me really. I didn't plan this) feelings from Harry. Perhaps this is drama about to emerge? Let me know what you think. I don't like to beg for reviews, but they are appreciated. It encourages me to write more and update faster!**

**Song Suggestion - Headlock by Imogen Heap.**

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By the time Luna had found herself in the hospital wing, tucked comfortably into one of the beds, she realized how exhausted she was. In a hurry, both she and the student that Dumbledore had referred to as Tom were rushed to Madame Pomfrey to be checked out and dried off. That only took a few moments and before she could even think to ask the mysterious boy a question, he was gone, Dumbledore trailing behind him.  
Rolling over under the covers, Luna sighed a bit, feeling her eyes close against her will. She would've loved to ask him things... Just as she drifted off into dream land, her spirits were lifted as she remembered that he was a Hogwarts student himself. She would be able to talk to him again. He had been wearing the Slytherin uniform; she could even recall the exact look of the snake, staring straight into her eyes.

Suddenly that snake uncoiled, seeming alive and almost fifty times bigger than it had seconds ago. Luna tried to look away and run but she was frozen to the spot, legs trembling beneath her as she watched the gigantic serpent slither closer, its yellow eyes holding emotionless emptiness. Its fangs were glistening, dripping with what she was sure was lethal venom. A scream caught in her throat as it disappeared for a moment behind her, beginning to wrap itself around her body. Tighter... tighter... tighter until...

"Luna!" The sudden voice pulled her into an upright position, though she regretted it, her head protesting with a burst of throbbing pain. Eyes wild and slightly bleary with sleep, her gaze darted around, breathing slow and shallow. Someone grabbed her shoulders, making her flinch but she soon relaxed as they pulled her into a slightly awkward hug. She realized they were sitting beside her, leaning over half of the bed to hold her.  
After a few moments, she pulled away, her breathing calmed down enough to focus on whoever had comforted her. Her gray eyes fell on an extremely worried Harry and she suddenly felt strange, wondering why his eyebrows were knitted together so closely. She didn't like it when people worried for her.  
"Hello Harry." She said, voice still as soft as ever. "I had a nightmare." She continued, sounding as if she were simply stating a fact from a text book. Swinging her feet over the edge, she shifted so she could get up, only to be stopped by Harry's hand, gently pushing her back by the shoulder. He was smiling at her in such a pitying way that it made her stomach churn with unease. She really wasn't fond of people feeling sorry for her – there was nothing to feel sorry for. She was happy and completely fine...

"I heard what the Slytherin girls did," he began, eyes dropping down to stare at her white bed sheets, looking as if he wanted to murder someone. "You... you should've told someone, Luna. I could've helped you. Even Hermione could have done something. It's better to get help than let it go on forever." He offered her what was supposed to be an encouraging smile.

Luna stared at him, her smile staying the same. He didn't understand, did he? She didn't want or need anyone to help her. It was nice of him to come and visit her but she thought to herself that maybe for once Harry Potter was not needed to save the day. Despite this, she nodded and moved to sit up again.  
"Thank you Harry. It was nice of you to visit. Do you know when I'm to be let out?" She had grabbed one of the Chocolate Frogs sitting at the foot of her bed, opening it eagerly before taking a bite.

Faltering, Harry looked dumfounded, as if he had expected her to say more, cry a little, tell her troubles... anything but smile and open a chocolate frog. Still watching her in amazement, it took him a few moments to answer, "You can go right now."

"Oh, that's nice." She said, through a mouthful of chocolate. Moving the hand that was still on her shoulder away, she offered him a grateful look before shifting back to her previous position, legs dangling over the side of the bed. "If you don't mind, Harry, I would like to get dressed." She gestured to her attire – a plain white set of pyjamas. Looking slightly embarrassed, Harry stood up and ran a hand through his hair, stepping aside before mumbling, "Right, well, I'll see you later then. Feel better, Luna..." and walking away looking slightly dejected.

Not quite understanding what he was disappointed about, Luna pushed the conversation from her mind as she changed into her robes which had been washed and dried, ran a brush through her hair and gathered all the small presents she had gotten into her arms. As she passed the small office in which Madame Pomfrey resided, she called out a small thank you and proceeded on her way to the Ravenclaw tower. It looked to be about mid-afternoon, so she assumed that everyone was in their class. She would have been in Herbology right now, but maybe it wasn't so bad that she was missing it considering that her homework was still half done. Suddenly, she stepped on something that slid under her foot, making her fall to the stone with a small cry. Her packages fell around her, some slightly crinkled from the landing.

"I wonder if there is a creature making me so clumsy..." she wondered aloud, rubbing her now slightly bruised knees before turning to look at what she had slipped on. It was just a plain old diary. Picking it up, she didn't seem to mind that she was sitting in the middle of the hall. Tilting her head, she was about to open to the first page to see who it belonged to but was interrupted by a slightly familiar voice.

"What are you doing?" Luna glanced over to see a Slytherin, walking towards her, a bored look on his face as he spoke. Oh, it was Blaise. Tucking the diary into her robes before he saw it, she turned around again and picked up her packages, standing quickly in hopes of leaving before he reached her. She almost made it, beginning to walk in the opposite direction before he reached out and pulled her back, eyeing the things she had in her arms. "Gifts from your little Gryffindor friends?" He guessed, examining them with a slightly interested look.

"Yes. They are quite nice." She replied, glancing down at them with a smile. "Why aren't you in class, Blaise?" She questioned, returning her gray eyes to his face. Maybe he wasn't so bad, she found herself thinking. Perhaps he was only rotten when he was around Malfoy – as a lot of people seemed to be.

At this, he laughed lightly, rolling his eyes. "It's Divination for us." Was all he said, reaching out and taking a package from her. "Thanks for the gift," he smirked, beginning to open it. On instinct, Luna tried to grab it back from him, all thoughts of him being potentially a nice person fading a bit. She almost got a hold of it before he shoved her away roughly.

"Look, Loony. I don't care what the Slytherin girls did to you. They're stupid, yeah? But you should learn that not everyone is nice. Grow up and stop acting like a child. It annoys everyone," Blaise spat, his usual quiet demeanour falling. Taking a step back, Luna blinked, surprised at his words. What annoyed people? She didn't act a certain way on purpose – she just acted like who she was. About to protest, she was cut off again by another voice, coming from behind her. "What do we have here?" It was a smooth and articulate drawl, one that perked her interest immediately and before she could spin around to see who it was, they were right beside her.

Tom, the dark haired boy she had met last night was standing almost beside her, staring at Blaise with an interested expression. It was almost like he was challenging him. Her eyes flickered back to the tanned boy, confused by the fact he looked intimidated. Wouldn't someone like Blaise be amused by the fact that Tom had stood up to him? Not to say anything about Tom but compared to the other Slytherin... he was greatly outweighed in muscle.  
"Nothin', yeah? Take your stupid gift, Loony." He tossed the package back to her before turning around and storming off, glancing back once with an almost creeped out expression.

Just barely catching it, Luna frowned a bit, settling it in beside the other gifts in her hold. Remembering who was standing beside her, she turned to look at him. To her surprise, he was already doing the same thing to her. Dark eyes were focused on her, staring at her like she was a puzzle he wanted to figure out. "Thank you." She said quietly not quite sure when her voice had become so soft.

[Toms POV.]

Smirking at the retreating form of the Slytherin he didn't even know, Tom internally sighed. The sheer stupidity of those in his house these days... If this was the future, he was not impressed with the standards of those admitted in. Mindlessly picking on others – how weak. Not to say that it didn't happen in his time, of course, but it was considerably less vile.  
His attention turned to the girl, staring at the side of her head with a blank expression. She seemed familiar for some reason. Taking in her appearance, he noted her pale complexion with equally pale hair, delicate nose and soft jaw line. She was wearing Ravenclaw robes, so it seemed unlikely that he knew her. As soon as she turned looking a bit shocked he was already studying her and uttered a soft thank you, he knew who she was. The girl from last night. The one who had found him.

"For what?" He replied, annoyed that she had thanked him. "I did nothing." His eyes lingered on the purplish bruise on the side of her face, looking fresh. She didn't seem strange to him, at least, not strange enough to pick on so endlessly. Watching as her expression shifted, just the slightest bit, he wondered what she was thinking. Usually Tom prided himself in being able to read people, understand their every thought as it passed across their face, and decipher their every emotion. But for some reason, she was difficult.

"Saving me," she suddenly replied, pulling him from his slightly frustrated thoughts. At this, his lips curved into an almost devious smirk. Ah, so she thought he was a good Slytherin. One of the decent kinds. Perhaps she even saw him as a knight in shining armour. How typical of a young girl. He hoped this didn't mean she would be talking to him every chance she got.  
Shaking his head, he laughed darkly under his breath. "I didn't." And with that, he turned around and walked away, headed in a different direction than before. As he rounded a corner, another small smirk snuck onto his lips. The very thought of him saving anyone was humorous, if anything, he was the one people would need saving from.


	7. I Hope You Aren't

**Hey guys! Thanks for reviewing! It means alot to me, really... Hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**Song Suggestion - Maddening Shroud by Imogen Heap.**

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The rest of the morning passed quickly, although Luna found herself in a slight haze, which obviously worried her friends. Both Ginny and Hermione sat next to her at lunch, urging that she should return to Madame Pomfrey. "Perhaps she will give you some Pepper-Up Potion..." Hermione had suggested, giving her a meaningful look as she began to eat. Luna disagreed, however, insisting that she was well and fine. Just as she was about to thank the two for the gifts they had left her, Ron and Harry slipped onto the seats across from them.  
"Have you heard?" Ron exclaimed in a hushed tone, grabbing a bread roll and biting a piece off with wide eyes.  
"Heard what?" Ginny questioned, looking slightly alarmed at the sudden intrusion. Usually they weren't so hasty about things – even if they were important. Ron was about to tell them but he was cut off, Harry beating him to it.  
"Slytherin's got a new student." Harry's voice sounded less than impressed and for some reason, he looked a little ill.  
"What's their name?" Hermione questioned, sounding curious. Both Hermione and Ginny assumed that the two boys had run into the new student themselves and he hadn't left a very good impression. Again, Ron was cut off, but this time by Luna.

"Tom. His name is Tom," she said happily, pleased that she had known the information without having to be told. She looked oblivious to Harry's slightly astounded face as she buttered her sandwich and took a bite.  
Harry stared at her blankly for only a moment more before he cried, "You've met him?" It was obviously very loud because quite a few heads turned to glance at him, wondering what his problem was. With an elbow to his side from Ron, Harry glanced around with a slightly embarrassed look before lowering his tone a bit. "Sorry... It's just..." He hesitated, looking as if he didn't want to continue.

Luna had taken another bite of her sandwich, staring at him curiously as she waited for him to go on. Finally after a few moments of waiting, Ginny caved and leant closer. "Tell us, Harry." She sounded anxious, as she usually did when it came to him.

Heaving a sigh, Harry obliged. "When Ron and I passed him in the hallway, he was on walking away from here and... when I looked at him, my scar burned – worse than ever before."  
Hermione paled considerably and she leant closer, as if Tom were standing behind them listening, or perhaps sitting under their table. "Why do you think that is?" She hissed, keeping her voice as low as possible. "Do you think he could possibly be working for you-know-who?"

Ginny's eyes were wide, so wide that Luna thought if someone bumped her, they might fall out. She wasn't quite as worried as the others – Tom didn't seem evil. He seemed perfectly fine to her and even though she had only known him for not even a day, she thought it was ridiculous that someone might think he was a spy working for Voldemort.  
Finishing enough of her sandwich, she contributed to the conversation, giving Harry a comforting look. "I'm sure it's not Tom. Lots of things could make your scar burn, Harry."

At this, Harry frowned, looking as if he had been betrayed or slapped across the face. Even Hermione looked a little offended – Ginny was the only one who suddenly brightened at the thought. She looked as if she was about to nod but faltered as she noticed in the last second that her brothers face was warning her to shut up.  
"You sticking up for that slimy Slytherin?" Ron suddenly questioned, rather harshly as he stared at Luna with an unbelieving look. Harry looked as if he was about to tell Ron to stop but he was too late as Ron continued, not letting his friend get a word in. "First you know his name and smile like he's all special 'an stuff. And now you're defending him as well? I always knew you were loony." He whispered the last part as he pulled Harry up by the arm, urging him away, but Luna had heard it.

Inside, as she watched her two friends storm off, she felt as if she were going to cry – something she hadn't done since her mother had died. The tears stayed inside, though, and she continued to smile as she picked absently at the small bit of sandwich left on her plate.  
Hermione got up and went after the two, looking torn between having a word with Ron for being so rude and wondering if she agreed with him. Ginny was the only one left, sitting awkwardly as she fidgeted with a loose thread on her robes that was suddenly interesting to her.  
"Um... Ron didn't mean it, of course, Luna..." She finally said, sounding painfully shy. "He's just worried for Harry, you know. He always gets that way."

Glancing over to her friend, Luna nodded. "I know." And with that, she stood up, wanting to be alone for awhile. She still had twenty minutes before Potions rolled along and that she really was not looking forward to. After a few minutes of brisk walking, she found herself outside, near one of the rather large oak trees that had been planted around the castle. Slightly short of breath and feeling as if she couldn't breathe – though she was sure it wasn't from the walk – she fell silently down onto her knees, pausing before leaning against the tree.  
Drawing her knees close to her chest, she tried to calm her breathing as she stared at the grass. Tears were still prickling at her eyes, pleading to come through, but she didn't let them. It wasn't worth crying over. Harry and Ron were just uptight about everything and after a week or two of nothing happening, they would forget it and offer her an apology.

This thought seemed to settle her and soon she was breathing normally, smiling a bit as the sun broke through the shade she was sitting on. Leaning her head back against the tree, she closed her eyes, wondering what her father was working on now. Maybe he would run another article on Nargles... If he did, she would be sure to cut it out and post it to Professor Snapes' door.  
As her thoughts wandered, she remembered the diary hidden inside of her cloaks. She hadn't taken it out once she got to her room and it was still pressed against her, resting comfortably in her inside pocket. Reaching for it, she pulled it out and flipped to a random page. It was empty.

Pursing her lips in thought, she tilted her head, stroking the page absently with one of her fingers. Perhaps it was a trick? With her other hand, she reached into her bag and dug around, pulling out her quill and ink before dipping the tip of her quill in the black substance. Her hand poised above the page, she paused, not sure what to write.

Going for the obvious, she decided it would be best to be straight forward. If it was some kind of joke diary, it wouldn't care about details.

_Are you a joke diary?_

Waiting patiently, she studied the page, immensely please as a response came back, equally dark ink forming slowly onto the page, its reply underneath hers.

**No, of course not. Might I ask your name?**

Wondering if she could trust this diary, she hesitated a few moments before answering, tucking a piece of her pale blonde hair behind her ear in concentration. Quickly scribbling down a reply, she waited again, finding this quite amusing.

_My name is Luna._

**Hello, Luna. Could you tell me where you found me?**

_In a bathroom. Odd place to be, do you think?_

**Yes, indeed. Are you, by chance, a student at Hogwarts?**

This surprised Luna; she hadn't expected a serious question like that to come round. Staring at the dark, voiceless words on the page, she felt a chill run through her, mixed with curiosity. How did this... thing know that she went to Hogwarts? Maybe it was some sort of charmed journal that read into your memories or something. Nonetheless, she still hadn't answered and before she could reply, she closed it. "How odd..." she murmured, tucking it back inside her robes before she stood, stretching lazily. It was such a nice day out... too bad it was a shame she had to spend it in potions. Suddenly, she realized... _Potions! I'm late for it!_

People in the hall stared as she rushed past, eyes wide and an almost amused smile on her face. She wasn't pleased at all that she was going to get a detention, but for some reason she was in a fine mood. Running around made her exhilarated and she thought to herself as she descended into the darkness of the dungeons that she should try it more often. Judging by the fact she hadn't seen a single soul of students her age, she was terribly late.  
Oh, Professor Snape is going to have my head... she thought miserably to herself, taking a breath before she pushed open the heavy door that lead to his classroom.

All of the heads turned to look at her, most of the Ravenclaws looking disappointed and slightly terrified. The Slytherins, however, looked delighted. They loved to see other students get detentions and have points taken from others Houses. And, evidently, Professor Snape shared this passion.  
"Miss Lovegood, how kind of you to join my class..." He drawled, voice dripping with a venom that could only come from the Slytherin head teacher. "I believe that this earns you a weeks detention and say, fifty points from Raven..." he stopped short, however, piercing eyes moving from her to a little ways behind her.

Some of the Slytherins murmured amongst themselves, quite a few looking suddenly paler than they had a few moments ago. A few of them looked excited, as if they had been waiting for this moment all day.

"Ah. Mister Riddle." Professor Snape looked as if he had been bitten by something and desperately wanted to pry it off his limb. Before he could say anything else, Tom was beside Luna, a little ways away from her as he offered the Professor a smile, dripping with ease.

"Please excuse her, I can testify that she was held up by a group of first years," Tom was saying, dark eyes locked on the older man before him. Oh, he was going to get it now. Snape hated it when people made excuses – especially if they weren't even liable.  
But, to everyone's surprise, Snape raised his head a little, looking as if he was fighting a losing battle before he nodded. "Indeed. Sit down Miss Lovegood."

She obeyed, not wanting those piercing eyes on her anymore. Sliding in beside Clarissa, she gave her a smile, only making the awkward look on the other girls face grow worse. The whole class watched as Tom's smile seemed satisfied and he continued to the front of the class, speaking to Snape for a moment before he disappeared into the supplies cupboard, emerging only seconds later.  
"Good day, Professor." He said smoothly before he left, as quickly as he had arrived.

Luna expected that now Tom was gone, and whatever influence he had over the Professor had left, that Snape would resume giving her a detention and taking points but instead, he continued on in their lesson. After assigning them all a two scroll essay on the uses of undetectable potions, he let them go with five minutes to spare. A few of the Ravenclaws congratulated her on escaping detention but at the same time, they looked at her as if she had the plague and if they got to close, they might catch it. On her way out, she smiled at the Slytherins, who, surprisingly, didn't sneer back. In fact, a few of them avoided her gaze while a good majority of them looked at her with a sense of respect.

Tilting her head as she walked away from the group and towards the Great Hall again for one last meal of the day, she frowned a bit. Sometimes the other students at Hogwarts seemed even more insane than she did.  
Hoping that Harry and Ron had forgiven her, she slid in at the Gryffindor table, greeted by Hermione and Ginny with friendly enough welcomes. They talked for awhile, beginning to eat dinner without the boys. Hermione assumed they were washing up after Care of Magical Creatures. They had dealt with Hippogriffs today.

However, as soon as the pair was spotted by Luna's gray eyes as they approached the table, she knew they were far from forgiving her. In fact, they looked somehow angrier than they had before this morning.

"Hello Ron, Harry." She greeted them as usual, smiling airily at them as she took a sip of water. Ron simply glowered, turning away from her as he began to talk to Percy. It was obviously bad when Ron preferred Percy's company over her own...

Harry tried to smile back but for some reason, he looked as if it were the hardest thing in the world. Finally, after staring at her for a few moments, he couldn't handle her slightly insulted look and stood up, pulling her away from the table and out of the dining room. He tugged her around a corner, pushing her into a slightly hidden indent before he let her go. Luna stared at him, confused.  
"What's wrong, Harry? Infestation of Nargles, I assume. I know how to get rid of them if you want. My dad wrote a..." A sudden hand over her mouth made the rest of her sentence mumbled.

Blinking, she stared at him, no longer trying to speak as it wouldn't do much good with his hand clamped so tightly over her lips. It seemed like the longest two minutes Luna had ever gone through but eventually, Harry spoke, his voice low and slightly pained.  
"There are rumors now... circulating around the school that that new student... and you..." He trailed off, eyebrows furrowing deeper into a frown. He looked positively puzzled, almost as puzzled as Luna was.

She meant to say, "What Harry?" but it was muffled against his hand so she gave up, instead settling for waiting for him to continue. She didn't have to wait long, for as soon as she had made up her mind, he began talking again.  
" They're saying you two have been... you know, together." At Luna's innocently confused expression, Harry let out a frustrated sigh before looking at the wall and glaring as he mumbled, "Doing stuff..."

Glancing back, he hoped she had gotten the message but she looked confused still, staring at Harry curiously from behind his hand. "They think you two have had sex, Luna."  
At this, her gray eyes widened even more than possible and she tried to pull his hand away, so she could speak. He obliged, letting it fall to his side.

"I would have never, Harry. You can get strange things from that. My dad told me about them. They are a tiny little creature that breeds when two people do that. They can kill you." Her voice sounded absolutely horrified at the thought and all Harry could do was stare at her incredulously. But, looking at her face and knowing she was telling the truth, he suddenly cracked a smile and laughed.

"Right, how could I forget?" He replied through his laughter, tears brimming at his eyes before he pulled himself together, pulling Luna into a quick hug. Just happy that he wasn't angry with her anymore, Luna smiled and patted his head.  
"I hope you aren't doing anything that dangerous, Harry." She said seriously before she turned and skipped back to the Great Hall, looking chipper once more.


	8. Do I Look Alright?

**Hey guys! Hope you guys are doing well! Thank you, thank you, thank you for reviewing! It's made me so happy... I love getting feedback. I have almost anxiety when it comes to keeping people in character, so knowing that I'm doing a decent job really helps.  
Anyway, so to answer some questions (although most will be answered eventually in the next two chapters)... The Chamber of Secrets has not been opened. Tom from the past does not know about the diary. And... I think thats it? Anything else, just ask!**

**Song Suggestion - Beethoven: Piano Trio #4 In B Flat, Op. 11, "Gassenhauer" - 2. Adagio (Because I love me some Beethoven. lol)**

* * *

As Tom dipped his quill into the ink sitting beside him, his mind was other places than the essay he was writing on the effects of Wolfsbane used in the wrong kind of potions. It was more situated on thoughts of the past week. Quite frankly, he could hardly believe it had taken Dumbledore this long to fix his time-turner, but for sake of remaining in good standing, he had said nothing. As for his time here, it had been nothing short of mundane. The only amusing fact to him was how similar the other Slytherins acted towards him. Even in this day and age they could feel his power – they knew deep down he was the heir of Slytherin.

A smirk graced his face and he sighed, setting his quill down as all hope of finishing his assignment left. Oh well, it wasn't like the teachers were going to give him a detention. Especially considering it was Severus Snape. This man - he had never met before. But, seeing as he was the head of the Slytherin house, he seemed to appreciate Tom even more than the other Professors. As if he was afraid of him. A little unfinished assignment wouldn't even cause Professor Snape to blink.

"Have a moment?" A sudden annoying drawl turned his attention away from the parchment, to a blonde Slytherin, staring down at him with his arms crossed. His smirk seemed to falter a little as Tom's eyes met with his own. A moments of silence passed and Tom gave him an expectant look.  
"Yes?" He prompted, standing up from his seat as he arched an eyebrow. "Draco Malfoy, is it?" He continued, now standing a good few inches over the other.

"I just wanted to say that..." he paused, looking to one of the boys he had on either side of him. "Well, is it true that you and Loo- er, I mean, Lovegood are..." Draco trailed off, swallowing at the sudden annoyed look that flashed through Tom's eyes. Quickly backtracking, he took a step away from him as well. "It's just, we wanted to know, if uh, she was fair game. For teasing, not for, uh, that. It's just we, well, often... Sometimes... things we... might..." He was stammering unintelligently now, wondering if he should have his wand out in case he was going to be killed.

Tom's expression had changed from slightly bored to utterly displeasured at the mention of that girls name. His dark eyes narrowed and he fixed them on Draco, listening to him stutter like a complete fool. "Shut up." He said simply, earning a small whimper from the blonde before he obeyed, not making a sound. When he was satisfied with the silence, Tom continued. "The girls in this house are the reason she seems to think we are friends. I don't care what you think is wrong with her; you will not waste your energy on harming her anymore. Do you realize how wasteful it is to tease her? She's hardly worth a second of your time. As Slytherins, you of all houses should be the ones who know this." His lecture had come in a swift breath and only once he was done did he take another, his dark eyes flickering from face to face before he pushed past them, heading towards the exit of the common room. "Disgusting..." was the last thing Malfoy heard him mutter before he had disappeared, leaving him, Crabbe and Goyle with their eyes wide and hands shaking.

After a few good minutes of walking, Tom found himself near the front hall, where he could look out and see the greenhouses and the terrace beside it. It was a slightly chipper night, making him regret that he hadn't grabbed his cloak. Not wanting to go back and get it, he simply forced it from his mind, leaning up against the wall as he stared out at the quickly darkening sky.  
The two faint voices of female students perked his interest and he kept still, able to listen to their conversation. They were sitting on the grass, a little ways from him in distance. One of them was talking in a hushed tone, her head bent towards the other. He almost lost interest until -

"She was completely petrified. I'm surprised a lot of our house doesn't know about it – being Slytherin and all, but most of us didn't even go to dinner tonight. Yeah, she was discovered right after dinner..." The other girl gave a gasp, before she shook her head.  
"It was called The Chamber of Secrets... So creepy; especially what was written on the wall... 'Enemies of the heir beware...' Do you think that someone in our House is the..." The other girl stopped her, motioning towards the other side of the grassy field. There was an older man, smiling as he headed towards them.

Tom turned and kept walking swiftly away, just catching his words to them. "Out late, are you girls? Well, Mister Dumbledore will be sure to punish you two..." but he barely heard it. His mind was racing and his heart was pounding in his chest in a way that was probably unhealthy. He rounded a corner, not caring where he was going.

_The Chamber of Secrets_. It rang through his mind like that girl was saying it over and over again; mocking him with the words. How could it be opened? He had only just opened it a few weeks before he ended up here... It was only the night before he ended up here that he had finally framed that brute for killing Myrtle. And he, he was supposed to be the heir of Slytherin. The only one who could open it. How could someone in this time be the heir?  
In frustration, he cussed under his breath before slamming his fist against the wall, hurting himself more than the stone. Pulling his hand back, he held it against his chest, not even wincing at the cuts as he rest his forehead against the cool stone. He tried to calm his breathing – in and out. _In and out._

"Are you alright?" The sudden voice made him flinch slightly, but he didn't move. He wasn't in the mood to charm people away, even if it would be easy. Just leave. Just leave. _Just leave_.  
No good – "Why do you have your face against the wall?"

Suddenly, as if matters were trying to make themselves worse, he recognized the voice. Light, slightly airy, day-dreamy... It was that girl. Luna. Did she ever know when to leave someone alone? He had thought getting people off her back would be enough to drive her away. Now, it seemed, she was following him. _Great... Just wonderful._

Finally, he turned around, not bothering to change his expression to a friendly one. He didn't care if she saw him like this. Not now, not when so many things were going wrong. How cares if he scared her? Maybe then she would stop showing up at the worst possible times. "Do I look alright?" He questioned, tone suggesting that it wasn't one to be answered. There she was, standing about a foot away from him, her head tilted as she stared at him with those god-forsaken gray eyes. For some reason, the fact that she didn't seem fazed by his anger sent a surge of rage through him. _Is she dense? Or perhaps she really is insane._

"No, you look quite horrible." She replied, sounding utterly serious. It was she who took the first step forward, her head tilting to the other side as she studied him. What in Merlin's name was wrong with her?

Ignoring the sting as he clenched his fists, he narrowed his eyes, quickly closing the distance between them. She didn't even flinch as he grew nearer, staring straight back into his eyes with each step he took. Finally, he stopped, almost shaking with anger now that he was right in front of her, staring down with wild eyes. His jaw clenched as he wondered what exactly pissed him off so much when it came to her.

"Would you like some chocolate? You look pale." She commented, hand going to reach into her pocket. _Oh, the insolence_... His hand snapped out, fingers wrapping around her wrist before she could make it to her pocket and he tightened his grip around the thin limb. Her eyes flickered to his grip, before returning to his face with a curious expression. She seemed to remember something before she smiled a bit. "Good point. There might be Nargles in there."

If he had no manners at all, he might have hit her, despite her gender. That was the only thing holding his other hand at his side, from connecting with her face. Instead, he smirked, scoffing darkly before he spoke, his voice shaking slightly. "I don't want chocolate. I don't want you to ever speak to me again. Do you understand? I did nothing for you. No favours, no acts of kindness. If I run into you one more time, I will not hesitate..."

She stayed expressionless for a moment, blinking a few times once he had trailed off. "Hesitate to what?" Was all she said sounding as if they were talking about something as simple as the weather. Smirk shifting into a threatening look, he dropped her wrist, shoving her away from him. He felt some satisfaction as she stumbled a bit away from him before he replied, "To kill you."

He studied her face for a moment, slightly pleased to see her eyes widen a bit. _Finally, a normal reaction_. Then, he turned and left, being sure he was headed towards his own common room.


	9. Under These Circumstances

**Hello everyone! I'm sorry for this really late chapter! I haven't really been busy, so that's no excuse. I just had a bit of a writers block. I know where I want to go with this story, I just can't seem to write it! It's frustrating... So, just in case you're confused. The beginning of this chapter starts from the end of Chapter 7. Basically, just what happened after Luna talked with Harry, yeah?**

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After Luna's talk with Harry, the rest of the night went well, though Luna excused herself from dinner earlier than usual. She simply told Ginny that she wanted to get a little bit of studying done in quiet – although the Ravenclaw dormitory was always quiet. Truth be told, all she wanted to do was get back to her own bed and go back to that diary she still had tucked in her pocket.  
It had been bothering her, in the back of her mind, since this afternoon before potions. The fact it knew she went to Hogwarts... At first, it was unnerving, almost. But then, Luna chided herself and remembered that a charmed diary might also be able to read your thoughts somehow.

Only ten minutes since she left the table, raced through the corridors and answered the riddle to enter her common room, did Luna find herself flopped down on her bed, legs dangling over the edge lazily as she pulled the diary from her pocket. Reaching over to grab her quill, she searched through it, attempting to find the page she had written in before. But... everything was empty. How strange.

Paying it no attention, she dipped her quill into her ink and started over again, thinking perhaps it was only a onetime thing.

_Hello, my name is Luna._

To her surprise, the words didn't form telling her the same thing from this afternoon. In fact, they were completely different and written almost quicker than last time, as if the diary had been waiting for her.

**I know, Luna. I've met you already. I realized I haven't introduced myself. My name is Tom. And, to my question before, you do attend Hogwarts, correct?**

Tom? Well, that must be a coincidence, right? There were plenty of boys named Tom in the world. Although, something in the back of her mind told her that it couldn't possibly be such a strange coincidence. Not to mention, this diary had the same speech pattern as him.

_I do. I belong to the Ravenclaw house._

She quickly scribbled down an answer, not really paying attention to what she wrote. Her mind was more focused on the fact that this diary had just said its name was Tom. The only logical explanation she could think of was it did in fact, belong to him and was charmed, to keep his secrets hidden. Maybe there was a password that only he knew and if anyone wrote something other than the password, it would just engage them in conversation. Now that she thought about it, it seemed clever. She was so pleased with her discovery that she didn't notice the diary had replied twice.

_Intruiging. I belong to Slytherin.  
_  
And a little below it on the page:  
_  
You seem distracted, are you alright?_

Now that she had figured out the mystery, Luna had no problem scribbling back replies, smiling dreamily after awhile. It was like talking to someone who wanted to know everything about you. He didn't even make a strange comment when she told him about her beliefs of creatures like Nargles or Crumple-horned Snorkacks. In fact, he even asked to know more about them. After almost half an hour of talking, though, Luna began to feel a bit tired.

She told him so, and he suggested she should sleep. As soon as his suggestion formed in dark ink on the page, sleep seemed like a wonderful idea and Luna lay her head down, eyes fluttering close easily as if she had run a marathon...

That was all Luna remembered, really. After she had fallen asleep, she had no recollection of how she might have ended up where she was. You see, Luna didn't wake up with her face pressed against the diary, like she thought she was going to. No, quite the opposite. She woke up in the same abandoned washroom that Moaning Myrtle lived in. At first, she had been confused. It was only natural to panic a little when one didn't wake up in their own bed. But, soon, she remembered that she sometimes walked in her sleep. Feeling a little better, she relaxed enough to wash her face with some water and eventually leave the washroom.

Walking dreamily down the corridor, though it was surely time for students to be in their common rooms by now, Luna wondered why she felt so tired. Feeling her pocket, she was surprised the diary had found its way along with her tonight.

As she rounded the corner, she stopped dead in her tracks, surprised to see Tom, with his fist against the wall, looking slightly distressed. "Are you alright?" She found herself questioning, meaning to return the diary.

But, quite obviously, he was not alright; as their conversation blatantly proved. He had refused her chocolate and given her a death threat. Well, that was not very friendly. All she wanted to do was question him about the diary and return it. She might have even thrown in a compliment about how cleverly it was charmed. But, he was not in the mood to talk, as he made very clear.

Watching the tall, dark-haired boy storm off, Luna sighed a bit. She had thought that Tom might have liked her, at least a little bit. He seemed friendly enough. Perhaps he was just having a bad day? Not wanting to be caught by Filch, Luna continued on, making her way back to the Ravenclaw Tower and answering the riddle easily.

Most of the people in her House were still awake, talking in hushed whispers about something. Used to being an outsider to their conversations, Luna offered them all her usual far off smile and made her way to the room she shared with a few other girls. On the way there, she was stopped by one of the Ravenclaw Prefects. He was a tall, skinny looking young man with a sharp pointed nose, only made worse by the small glasses he wore.  
"Miss Lovegood," he began, sounding nasally as ever, his beady eyes studying her as if he already doubted whatever she was about to say. "This entire house has been strictly warned not to wander around at night. Given the circumstances, I would think you are smart enough not to go off in search of made up magical creatures."

"What circumstances?" She questioned seriously, tilting her head to the side as she tucked her hair behind her ear, her wand still held in its same spot.  
The prefect rolled his eyes, as if he were speaking to a child and spoke slowly. "The circumstances where a very girl from the Gryffindor house was petrified," he paused, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just go to your dorm and if I catch you wandering around again, you will be given a detention."

Making her way to bed once more, Luna flopped down on the comfortable surface of her mattress, not even pulling the covers up to hide under. She was so exhausted; she had meant to ask her roomates about the girl who had been petrified but she could barely form a sentence she felt so drained. It was strange, considering she had just been asleep not too long ago... Frowning, she pulled the diary out from her pocket and stuffed it under her pillow, rolling over and tucking her arm beside it before closing her eyes. With a small sigh, she was asleep in minutes.


	10. Just Flattery

**So sorry about the delay guys! I was on vacation in Hawaii. It was wonderful and I was too sunburnt to write anything. Ahh. Usual disclaimers (do I even do these before?) I don't own the characters and such. Just the plot. Any questions, feel free to ask! I'm always happy to get a question or two. Please review! I'll love you more than Slughorn likes crystalized pineapple. **

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The next three days greeted Tom with an almost mundane level of normality that it was suffocating. It seemed as if life were mocking him. To have discovered the Chamber of Secrets had been opened two nights ago without his knowledge and more importantly, a girl from the Gryffindor house had been petrified. Nothing seemed to be going right. And now, the only slightly amusing thing to his everyday routine was a certain Gryffindor boy. Apparently, he had somehow heard of Tom's brush with Luna and perhaps even the fact that he had threatened to kill her. Regardless of what he had heard, he seemed intent on killing Tom every chance he got.

Now, for example, Tom was seated in the library, books propped up in front of him and half filled parchment under his hand as he wrote with his usual elegant script. The boy, with god-forsaken messy hair and amusing glasses was sitting across from him, wand in his hand. He was gripping it so tightly his knuckles were white. Tom was surprised it hadn't snapped in two yet.

Glancing up from his work after ten or so minutes of the silent death glare, he stared at the unknown boy with a bored expression. "Can I help you?" He drawled, arching an eyebrow as the Gryffindor gave what almost looked like a wince of pain at the sound of his voice. Rolling his eyes, Tom returned to his work, not feeling the need to be bothered by the other.

"Yes, you can!" He finally replied after half a minute as he stood, almost knocking over the chair he had been seated on. "You can explain to me why you threatened one of my friends and why..." He seemed to falter for a moment, as if he didn't want to say what he almost did. "Why you're an ignorant prat!"

Tom stayed silent, staring at the boy for a few more moments until he laughed, cold and chillingly. He slammed his book closed and rolled up his parchment, an amused smirk on his lips as he pakced up his things, only letting it drop once he had stood up and draped his bag on his shoulder. "Your friend should learn to keep her nose out of other people's business. As for being a prat," he trailed off, taking a few steps closer to the dark haired boy, "I'm not the one disturbing another's study time. And before I go, delight me with the pleasure of your name." It wasn't a request, it was a command – he had taken the same tone he used to get what he wanted from any given person. He had used it on Slughorn. He had used it on Dumbledore, many years before.

This boy, however, merely gritted his teeth and glared right back at Tom. "Have a good day," he said quietly before stepping back, as if indicating he didn't want to cause trouble. His eyes said otherwise, Tom noticed. Arching his eyebrow again, Tom lingered for another few seconds before smiling a cold smile and obliging, stepping away. As he neared the exit to the library, he glanced back, just in time to see that the boy had waited until he left to press his palm to his forehead, as if he were in immense pain.

-  
"Luna!" The familiar voice of Harry pulled the blonde from her reverie and back into the Great Hall. She had talked to him the day before. Or, rather, he had found her lying with her head on the table, mumbling something. She assumed she had been muttering about Tom and his threat because right after he had managed to wake her, he had stormed off, obviously in search of the Slytherin.

"Hello Harry," she greeted airily as he slid in beside her, not caring if he was seated at the wrong table. "Have you found Tom yet?" She wondered aloud, turning her large eyes towards him with a curious tilt of her head. Harry seemed taken aback that she had figured out what he had been intending to do but recovered quickly as he nodded. "Yes, I have. You... Luna, stay away from him. He's dangerous. I don't know how, but I just know. Every time I go near him or he speaks to me, my scar hurts more than you can imagine. Just, stay away from him, alright?"

Luna continued to stare at him, looking thoughtful before she nodded. "Well, Harry, it seems you should stay away from him more than I." Her answer was almost a riddle, as if she were hinting at something. Before Harry had a chance to question, however, she had stood up, offering him a faint smile before slinging her bag over her shoulder. She was about to walk away before she felt a gentle grip on her hand. Turning back to Harry, she tilted her head yet again, wondering if he had anything else to tell her. He seemed surprised that he had done this and abruptly let his hand slip away from hers. "See you later, Luna..." Was all he said before he got up and left, going the opposite direction as her.

Thinking that boys were strange, Luna drifted around the castle for a few hours, enjoying the last day of the weekend. The sun seemed unable to decide whether or not it wanted to stay or to leave, sometimes spitting out a few meek rain drops before emerging from the gray clouds. Finding herself wandering towards the forest, Luna inwardly smiled a bit before she toed off her shoes and pulled her socks off, wanting to feel the comfort of the forest beneath her feet. As she walked, the slightly damp floor beneath her seemed right at home. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, walking easily throughout the trees and shrubs.

Walking until she felt tired, Luna sat down beside a large tree and leant her back against it, stretching out her legs with a satisfied smile. The sudden urge to speak to the diary Tom hit her like a wave, crashing over her and dragging her hands to her pockets before her brain had even registered what she was doing. Flipping it open to a random page, she extracted her quill silently, feeling a strange sense of excitement and anticipation welling up inside of her. It was as if she were about to speak to a friend she hadn't seen for years. In reality, she had written in the diary just last night, only to fall asleep very quickly, apologizing to Tom for being so tired.

_Hello Tom_.

**Hello Luna. It is a pleasure to see you again. Have you slept well**?

_Very, thank you. I've been quite tired lately. Perhaps an infestation of Burgendups_.

**Could be indeed. I recall you informing me that they are... small creatures that drain your energy with stingers**?

_Yes! I'm happy you remembered. Even my father sometimes does not listen to my accounts of creatures. He writes for a magazine called the Quibbler. Editor, actually_.

**Fascinating. He sounds like an intelligent man, of course. Which is why you are in Ravenclaw. You must be incredibly intelligent**.

_Now you are just being charming_.

**Am I? Forgive me, but I thought I was just being truthful. Besides, flattery never hurts, am I right**?

_Yes... But flattery is often a means of getting something. Not to say I'm judging you, of course. I'm glad to have something... someone who understands me. Even if it is sometimes just flattery_.

**What could I possibly want from you, Luna? I am, after all, just a diary**.

_Of course_...

They continued on for what seemed like hours, yet felt like minutes. Time was lost when Luna was talking to the diary Tom. He was charming, understanding, yet mature. Like she was an equal to him. He said he enjoyed her company. She told him likewise. They discussed Hogwarts and careers and ambitions. He offered her endless amounts of flattery and compliments, not to mention he swore he loved hearing about every creature she had ever seen or believed in. But as time seemed to become lost, her ability to stay awake followed. Darkness was beginning to persuade her, to join in sleep and her eyelids seemed all too eager to follow. Tom did not seem fazed when she told him this. He said she should give in. To sleep. He would take care of her. But she barely had time to read those words before she had dropped her quill and fallen into sleep where she would later swear she felt she faint feeling of arms wrapping around her.


End file.
